BlackBeauty613's Oneshots & Songfics
by BlackBeauty613
Summary: My collection of old oneshots and songfics that I wrote a long time ago. Pairings include Troyella, Chaylor, and Rypay.
1. Guess Who

**Summary: The musical's going great until Gabriella gets sick 2 days before it. And guess who the understudy is...TROYELLA ONESHOT! SLIGHT TROYPAY!**

Troy ran all over the school looking for Gabriella. It wasn't like her to miss school, but knowing her, it must be something urgent.

_"I give up. She's absent."_ Troy thought to himself. He was just about to head for his locker when he saw Gabriella's friend, Taylor.

_"Maybe she knows where Gabriella is."_ he thought.

He called for Taylor and she walked over to him. "Yeah Troy?"

Troy smiled and asked "Hey. Do you know where Gabriella is?"

Taylor said "Ohhh. Sorry. She's out sick. Her mom called me this morning and told me. She said that she was probably going to be out for the next week or so. Again, sorry."

Troy's mouth dropped. "What? The musical's tomorrow and we're the lead roles! If she doesn't show up then..." he said as his voice trailed off.

His eyes widened, he thanked Taylor, ran to his locker, grabbed his stuff, and he rushed out the door, thinking _"Please, please, please be ok Gabby!"_

--

When he got to Gabriella's house, he rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. Mrs. Montez answered the door.

When she saw Troy, she smiled and said "Oh Troy! Hi! I was expecting you. Come in!"

He smiled and followed her upstairs to Gabriella's room. He could hear her coughing.

"Ohhh. It doesn't sound good in there."

Mrs. Montez looked at him and said "Trust me. It doesn't LOOK good in there too. Be careful."

He nodded and cautiously opened the door. He walked in and almost passed out when he saw Gabriella. Her face was a deadly pale, her nose was "leaking", her eyes were red and puffy, and there was a river of used tissues surrounding her bed. He just stood there and stared.

When she finally stopped coughing, she opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend. She smiled and said "Hi Troy! How's it go-" she was cut off by an oncoming sneeze. She franticly grabbed for a tissue and sneezed in it.

Troy flinched and asked "Feeling any better?"

Gabriella looked at him sadly and said "Unfortunately, no. I have the flu. Last night I was dizzy, hot, and had all of the flu symptoms."

Troy came for 2 reasons. To see Gabriella and to ask the dreaded question about the next day. Troy took a deep breath and said "So, how long does this last? Please say this is one of those 24-hour flu's! Please say what Taylor says isn't true!"

Gabriella looked disappointed and said "Sorry. The doctor says that this will probably last all through next week. Sorry Troy. You'll have to perform with Sharpay."

She grabbed for another tissue and sneezed leaving Troy devastated.

"Aw man! This is a LOVE performance! I don't want to kiss her!"

Gabriella looked at him and said "You're not alone. I don't want to see my boyfriend kiss someone else either. But it's for the show. Uh-oh. I think I'm gonna-. Bye Troy!"

She kicked off the covers and ran to the bathroom. You could hear everything she was doing from outside the door. That wasn't what was making Troy sick. It was the thought of having to kiss his enemy. He walked out of her room and down the stairs. He told Mrs. Montez everything and said goodbye. He walked to his car and drove home thinking _"How am I going to survive this?"_

--

When he got home, he went to his room and tried to do his homework, but couldn't focus. He couldn't help but think about Gabriella and the musical.

"_I can't believe I have to kiss HER! That is so messed up! Of all weeks for her to get sick, why does it have to be THIS week? I need to find a way out this. Wait. What are you saying? Do it for Gabriella. Dang. You must love her a lot if you're going to do THIS for her. Hold on a sec. Why are you talking to yourself? Stop it!"_

He was barely on the second question when his dad knocked on the door.

"Troy? Can I come in?"

Troy hid his homework under the sheets of his bed and said "Yeah."

Mr. Bolton entered the room and asked "You ok?"

Troy nodded and said "Yeah. Why?"

"Because you seem a little tense. Everything alright with Gabriella?"

Troy thought and said "Actually, not really. She's sick and the musical's tomorrow. That means I have not only have to perform with Sharpay, but I have to KISS her too! Now, you tell me how wrong that is and I'll feel a little better."

Troy's dad looked at him and said "Gee. That was an earful. And yes. That is messed up. How does Gabby feel about it?"

Troy sighed and said "She was the one who made me realize it. She doesn't want me kissing her but said that this is the only excuse for kissing another girl."

His dad thought for a moment and finally said "Let me just say this. Just try to replace Sharpay's face with Gabriella's. If that doesn't work, you've been through worse things in your life. That help?"

Troy pretended to think and said "No not really."

Troy's dad got up and walked to the door saying "Least I tried. Night Troy."

Troy waved and said "Night. Work on your words of wisdom. They stink."

Mr. Bolton laughed and closed the door. As Troy sat on his bed he thought _"Maybe I could try that face replacement thing. Ok, that's enough drama for one night. I'll do my homework in free period tomorrow."_

He showered, brushed his teeth, and got in bed. He drifted off thinking _"It'll be fine. After all, things are never as bad as they seem."_

--

The next morning, Troy woke up feeling better about the following night. His dad's lousy advice seemed to help a little. He was going to think about nothing but Gabriella's pretty face the whole day. Then when he got to the musical, he was going to look at Sharpay and imagine Gabby's face instead of Sharpay's. Of course he wasn't going to TELL Sharpay about it.

_"Perfect! Now you have to thank dad."_

When he went downstairs for breakfast, he ate, got his stuff, and said "You know dad, you're not that bad at this advice thing. Thanks."

His dad smiled and said "No. Thank you. See you at practice."

Troy waved and walked to the bus stop. He couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a very interesting day.

--

The whole day, he followed his plan (Except for free period when he had to do his homework). He daydreamed the whole day and never got in trouble, but came close in homeroom. Ms. Darbus was taking attendance and called Troy's name.

After 3 tries of "Troy Bolton", she finally shouted "BOLTON!!"

He was so surprised, he fell out of his seat. When he got back up and sat down, he quietly said "Here."

She glared at him and continued with roll. His cheeks turned blood red, but he continued to think about Gabriella. But he also made a mental note to come back to reality once in a while so that he doesn't get caught.

After school, he went to the final rehearsal. _"Remember. Picture Gabriella, not Sharpay."_ he told himself. He got through the rehearsal without a problem.

Ms.Darbus was thrilled and Sharpay was suspicious. "I had more screw-ups than him. Why? Usually he would be miserable because he's not performing with his precious Gabriella. He's up to something, and I'm going to find out what it is."

Ms. Darbus dismissed them and they went home, ready for the rest of the night.

--

At 6:30, the cast had to be at the school and hour early for costumes and makeup. 45 minutes later, they rehearsed any scenes they needed help with. Finally at 7:20, the audience started coming in.

Troy looked out at the crowd and had his last minute thoughts about Gabriella. "You're acting with Gabby, not Sharpay. Come on. You can do this. Just go out there and do what you do best. This is just like rehearsals, except NO mistakes. You can do it. Don't let Sharpay get to you."

At 7:30, Ms. Darbus introduced the the play and said a few words. Finally she said "And now ladies and gentlemen, Twinkle Town!"

The crowd cheered and Troy and Sharpay walked onstage.

"Show time!" Troy said to himself. The curtains opened. Troy had the first line.

"Oh hello Minnie! Fine day isn't it? How are you?"

Sharpay had the next line. "Oh Arnold! Haven't seen you in a long while! And yes. It is a fine day. What have you been up to?"

When Sharpay turned around, her face transformed into Gabriella's.

Troy flinched and then realized "Oh wait. This is supposed to happen! But whoh. Didn't know it would be like that!"

He continued with his lines and the play went well. He didn't' see Sharpay's face once, which was the plan all along. Everyone except Troy was seeing Sharpay's face.

It all went perfectly until Sharpay couldn't take it anymore. She thought that Troy was going to mess up sometime since he was perfect so far. She thought that he was going to sabotage the musical since Ms. Darbus made Troy work with Sharpay. So she decided to get rid of Troy before he had a chance to ruin everything.

When they started Breaking Free, Sharpay formed a plan.

**"We're soarin', flyin' there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach"**

Sharpay started her line and the first step of her plan.

**"If we're tryin', so we're breakin' free"** As she sang, she knocked Troy with her hips. He jerked to the side.

**"You know the world can see us, in a way that's different than who we are"** As he sang **"are"**, he knocked Sharpay with his hips too. Sharpay realized that this was war.

**"Creating space between us, 'till we're separate hearts"** When she said "Creating space", she bumped Troy with her shoulder so that there was A LOT of space between them.

This continued until Sharpay lost it. When they finished singing the **"More than hope, more than faith"** part, Sharpay just couldn't take it anymore.

She threw the mike off the stage and lunged at Troy. She pinned him on the ground and started to rip at his hair and scream in his face. She scratched at him so much that she ripped his shirt off!

Troy also lost it and threw Sharpay off of him (He also lost the image of Gabriella). He secured her on the ground and started to rip at her hair and scratch her.

Sharpay tried to get him off of her, but it was no use. Troy was too strong.

She finally kicked him off and they started some real action. They punched and kicked and smacked and scratched and screamed and did everything in the book to hurt each other.

Ms. Darbus finally came out on stage and screamed "STOP IT THIS INSTANT!!"

Sharpay was on top of Troy with her arms supporting her. Troy knocked her arms and her and her lips fell on Troy's. They had kissed.

The audience's mouths dropped.

Ms. Darbus couldn't move.

Troy and Sharpay didn't realize what was going on until they opened their eyes. When they finally realized what was happening, Sharpay threw herself off of Troy and they started gagging.

After a moment of that, they ran to their dressing rooms and locked the doors. Sharpay went to the bathroom and cried. Troy went to the bathroom and continued gagging for a minute. Then he thought about what just happened.

He suggested calling Gabriella, but decided against it. He wanted to wait a little. Then he thought about how much trouble he was in.

He not only had a fight in school, but he had a fight with a GIRL! They were probably calling the cops right now. He could be suspended or worse.

EXPELLED!

That would look horrible on his record and he would never get into a good collage. That means that he would never be a professional basketball player!

_"Slow down Troy! You don't know what's going on out there yet. And you're not going to for a while. Just stay in here and cool off."_

In about 5 minutes, there were voices outside the bathroom. "Maybe he's in the bathroom." Mr. Bolton said.

Troy's first thought was "I am so grounded for life."

When the bathroom door opened, Troy could see feet outside. They checked every stall and came to the last one where Troy was. They tried to open it, but it was locked. That was a dead giveaway to Mr. Bolton that his son was in there.

"Troy come on. Open the door. I promise that you won't be in any trouble. I just want to talk."

Troy slowly unlocked the door. His dad motioned for him to come out. Troy got off of the toilet seat and walked into the dressing room.

They sat down and just stared at each other for a while until Mr. Bolton finally said "Wow. That was tough to watch. What happened?"

Troy said that it was Sharpay who started it.

"Yeah I know that. But why did it happen?"

Troy confessed everything. He told his father everything that he was thinking about. He just talked until he couldn't talk anymore. His dad just sat there taking it all in.

"I think it's time I gave you my lousy words of wisdom again. First of all, nobody's calling the cops. If someone was severely hurt, then we would call them. But that's beside the point. I know how you're feeling with Gabriella. I feel the same way about your mom. I love her to death. I went through a similar thing in high school. We were at a party and I was dared to kiss the most popular girl in school. You're mom didn't want me kissing her but realized how I kind of needed to. So I got it over with and we all moved on with our lives. That's what you need to do. I recommend telling Gabriella and explain how much you didn't want it to happen. Knowing her, she's going to forgive you. After that, you just need to move on with your life. Now, you're not in trouble with me but as for the others, you're dead. Might as well get that over with too. Come on."

Troy and his dad walked out of the room, ready to face the music. They went to the girls dressing room and found Sharpay, the rest of the cast and adults. When Sharpay saw Troy, she looked at the ground and started crying again. Everyone tried to comfort her, but she pushed them all away. They all looked at Troy with a "Help us" look on their faces.

Troy slowly walked over to her and said "Sharpay? You ok?"

They now looked at him like he was stupid. Of course she wasn't ok, physically or mentally. She had bruises and cuts all over, just like Troy. And as for her spirit, that was crushed too.

Sharpay looked up at Troy with a tear stained face and sobbed "Why do you care? You hate me don't you? Just like everyone else in school, you can't stand me. Don't even try to deny it because my body proves it. You finally got your chance to do what the whole school wanted to do. Beat the crap out of me. Just say it. You know you wanna. Just do it."

By now, Troy felt like crying. But he had to stay strong and tell Sharpay what was on his mind.

He pulled up a chair and said "Sharpay, I didn't want to do what I did. I had to defend myself and I guess I just lost it in the process. I'm sorry, but you're wrong. I don't hate you. Nobody does. You're just kind of mean to people and they give the impression of hating you. They might want to hurt you once in a while but their just afraid of you. You're not alone. Some people want to beat me up sometimes too. When I win a game, the other team might want to just come and knock me unconscious. But I deal with it. My friends help me out. Your friends can help you out too."

As Troy mentioned his friends, this brought more tears to Sharpay's eyes.

"Too bad Ryan's my only friend. I've never been invited to someone's party or been involved in anyone's social life. I don't have any girl friends. I had my eye on a boy, but the recent new girl got to him first."

When Sharpay said the last part, he realized why Sharpay's been hating on Gabriella. She was about to make a move on Troy, but Gabriella got to him first.

He felt so bad. He motioned for the others to get out of the room. They looked at him as if saying "Are you sure you won't start another fight"

He gave them a "I'm positive" look and they walked out.

Once they were gone, Troy pulled his chair closer to Sharpay and said "Sharpay, I'm sorry that you don't have any girl friends and I'm even more sorry that you wanted to go out with me but couldn't. Even if Gabriella didn't make a move, I still don't think it could've worked out."

When he said that, Sharpay just cried harder. Troy tried to choose his words more carefully and said "Look, I think I can help you out with your situation but you have to promise me one thing. You can't tell Gabriella that you wanted to make a move on me. She might feel bad and break up with me. Deal?"

He put out his hand toward Sharpay. She looked at it and shook it saying "Deal."

Troy smiled and said "Ok. On Monday, go to somebody's table at lunch and invite them to the mall or something. Then if they don't go, just apologize for everything you've probably done to them and explain why you want them to be friends with you. Same with a guy. Get to know him and be friends first. Then when you're ready, make a move on him. That help?"

Sharpay thought about it. She finally smiled and nodded. Troy also smiled and said "Alright. Now, let's go and finish the performance. Then we'll face our punishment. Ok?"

Sharpay wiped her eyes and agreed. They got into brand new costumes and a lot more makeup to cover the cuts and bruises. At about 9:30, they finished the play. Afterwards, they found out that they were suspended for 2 days. They agreed that it was fair and after that, they did the hardest part. They called Gabriella and explained everything. Gabriella couldn't believe it but like Troy, she had to deal with it and move on with her life. She did want them to go over to her house and talk though. That's just what they did. They went over and had a talk about it. But they didn't mention Sharpay liking Troy. After that, everything was fine. They went home and slept until noon, since they didn't have to go to school.

--

In 2 days, they returned with everyone happy to see them. At lunch, Sharpay did just what Troy told her to do. She sat at a table of 6 girls and invited them to the mall. Luckily, they've been waiting for her to talk to them. They happily agreed and they instantly became friends. After lunch, Sharpay thanked Troy.

Also, in about 2 weeks, Troy saw Sharpay kissing Zeke Baylor at the mall. He smiled and got Sharpay's attention by clearing his throat loudly. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back.

By the end of that week, Gabriella was back. Her and Troy had a party that night to celebrate. The whole school was invited, even Sharpay and Ryan. It seemed that no one feared Sharpay anymore. She actually got the whole school to like her in under a month. There was no more conflict, no more anger, no more fear. Just a happy high school, happy high school couples, happy high school friends, and happy high school musicals.


	2. Trevor's Return

**_THIS IS A SUITE LIFE OF ZACK AND CODY ONESHOT!! NOT HSM!!_**

**Summary: Trevor comes back to the Tipton. How will Maddie react when she finds out that her worst enemy walks back into her life? Tradie oneshot.**

It was just a regular day at the Tipton. Guests came and  
left, Zack and Cody were up to no good, Mr. Moseby was cranky, and Maddie was just trying to block it all out and get through her day. That all changed when Corrie, Maddie's strange beyond all reason friend, came running through the door.

"MADDIE?? I HAVE SERIOUS NEWS FOR YOU!!

Maddie's cheeks turned blood red as her name rang through the lobby. People stared at Corrie as she bolted to the candy counter where Maddie worked. As Corrie tried to catch her breath, Maddie asked "What is this 'important news' you have for me?"'

"There's-a new guy-coming-to-our-school." she said in between breaths. Maddie looked at her as though she had just gotten crazier than she already was.

She said "You screamed my name, embarrassed me, and made a total fool out of yourself just to tell me that there's a new student coming to our school?"

Corrie nodded as though she had actually done something right. "It's different this time. The new guy's actually really hot! But I forget his name. Oh Corrie what was it? Anyways, he's tall with brown hair, tan skin, blue eyes, and he's a merit scholar that came here a few months ago and actually went on a date with London! But he said it went horribly wrong and ended up kissing some other blonde girl."

Maddie was at full attention when she said the last part. She looked at Corrie and repeated the last sentence and asked "You don't remember his name? Does the name Trevor ring a bell?"

Suddenly Corrie clapped and shouted "TREVOR! THAT'S HIS NAME! How'd you know that Maddie?"

Maddie stood as still as a statue with the color drained from her face. Corrie waved her hand in front of Maddie. "Maddie? Yoo-hoo! You in there?"

Maddie shook free if her trance-like state and said "What? Oh ye-yeah. Corrie, I can't see this guy! I met him before and let's just say were're not the best of friends."

Corrie looked confused. "Why not?" she asked.

Maddie was about to explain when suddenly Corrie's name was called. It came from the front door. Maddie looked over and ducked behind the candy counter. Corrie looked over at Maddie but then turned her attention over to the guy who called her name. Trevor and some guys Maddie didn't know walked over.

_"Those must be his friends"_ she thought to herself. _"If they're anything like Trevor, I'll be sure to stay away from them too!"_

Maddie's thoughts were interrupted by Trevor saying "Corrie, these are my friends, Johnny and Kyle. Johnny's from Malibu and Kyle's from Florida!" They waved and said hello.

Johnny had and afro. He was also black. But he was really hot!

Kyle had short blonde hair and was pale. He wasn't as hot as his 2 other friends.

After they greeted each other, Trevor asked "So, where's this girl that you wanted me to meet?"

Corrie forgot everything Maddie said and answered "Oh, she's behind the candy counter. Maddie, you can come out now!"

Maddie just wanted to slap her. But she rised from the floor with a fake smile and said between her teeth "Welcome back to the Tipton Trevor."

Trevor's smile faded when he saw Maddie's face. He slowly turned away and whispered "Oh my God. Not her again."

He turned back around, also with a fake smile, and said "Hello Maddie."

Maddie's 'smile' faded as she dully said "Trevor"

Even though Trevor hated her, he didn't want to be rude. So he decided to say "So. What have you been up to?"

Maddie grinned and said "Oh. Actually I started a petition to stop people from cutting down trees. But they made me stop. You must know all about that, wouldn't you? I mean, you probably suggested that they make me stop."

Trevor thought _"Oh, it's on now"_

"No, I don't know anything about it. Oh, and you have some tree bark on your shirt. Is it from hugging the trees all day? Or do you just live in a tree and be a part of a bird family?"

Maddie started to say "What did you just say to-" but Corrie came between them and said "Hey you guys! No fighting! You don't wanna start the year out badly, do you?"

Trevor and Maddie both answered flatly "No."

Corrie smiled and said "Good! Now how about we go to the Art Museum?"

Trevor and Maddie both screamed in unison "NOOOO!!"

Corrie and the boys looked at them as if they were crazy.

Trevor and Maddie both realized what they just did and tried to fix it by saying "Umm... w-we mean that the museum is being… fumigated right now and they said that, um, anyone who goes within… 30 feet of it is going to have, um, major… skin problems!"

Maddie nodded her head and agreed with what he was saying and said "Yeah, wha-, what he said!"

Kyle and Johnny both rolled their eyes. They knew they were lying.

"Oh, is that so?" Kyle asked.

Trevor and Maddie both nodded.

Kyle continued "Because when we passed it 15 minutes ago it looked like nothing was happening."

Trevor knew he was caught. "Fine. Let's go." He mumbled.

Maddie was suddenly grateful that she had a job. She happily said "Ohh, sorry. I have to work!"

She was satisfied until Mr. Mosbey came by the candy counter and said "Maddie, its 5:00. You're off your shift." Maddie was about to tell him that she would work overtime, but Corrie said "Great! Maddie can come after all!" Maddie breathed a sigh of defeat, cleaned up the counter, and they were out the door.

--

On the way there, they looked at the boy's schedules. Maddie groaned when she found out that their schedules were the exact same as the girl's. She also groaned at the thought of having to put up with Trevor for 7 hours a day.

They got to the museum and started walking around until they came to a painting called "Sunset". Maddie took one look at the painting and the memories came flooding back.

_"So, what do you think of this one?" Trevor asked London. They were on their date and Maddie was telling London what to say to Trevor so Trevor would that London was smart._

_"Hmm. What do I think of 'Sunset" by Azowa? Born 1930 died 1983!" _

_Maddie flipped through the pages of the museum guide until she found the painting's description. _

_"I feel it's a powerful statement about nature which uses light in a new and creative way!" she told London. _

_London got the message and answered Trevor's question by saying "You know, I feel it's a powerful statement against nature-" _

_Maddie heard that London had messed up. "ABOUT NATURE!" she corrected. _

_London realized what she did and corrected herself. "I mean ABOUT nature! Which uses light in a new and creative way." she said. _

_Trevor didn't notice the screw up and said "London. You're amazing."__  
_  
Maddie and the gang walked on and came to a chair sculpture. Trevor laughed at the memory that came back into his mind.

_After the complement Trevor gave her, London laughed and said "Well, what can I say? Modern Art is my life!" As she said this, she sat down on something that she THOUGHT was a bench. _

_When she sat down, Trevor and everyone else in the museum gasped. _

_Trevor quickly told London that she was sitting on a masterpiece. London giggled and said "I knew these pants made me look good!" _

_Trevor offered her a hand and pulled her off the chair and said "I wasn't talking about that, but now that you mention it, WOW!"  
_  
Maddie, Corrie, and the boys kept walking until they came to the most memorable spot and the most important memory jumped back into their minds.

_"You bleeding heart liberal!" Trevor shouted. _

_"Establishment puppet!" Maddie shot back. _

_Trevor couldn't hold it in anymore. "Do you wanna kiss me as much as I wanna kiss you?" he yelled. _

_Maddie was glad he said that. "I'm surprised someone as smart as you would have to ask!" she screamed. She grabbed his shirt and yanked him towards her. The lips locked. Trevor and Maddie had kissed.__  
_

Maddie was staring at the spot where it all happened until Trevor said "This is stupid."

Maddie looked at him and said "What is?"

Trevor smiled at her and said "This whole fight. I mean, we were actually cool with each other until that miserable date I had with London. And you're right. The environment is very important and I shouldn't have said that."

Maddie smiled and said "So that's it? You agree with me?"

Trevor smiled and added "You know, that whole date messed everything up. London isn't the one I want to date. You are."

He slowly pulled her towards him and they kissed.

Corrie and the boys' mouths dropped until Corrie said "Umm, guys? Why don't we leave these 2 alone and get something to eat, huh?"

The boys agreed as they walked out of the museum. Maddie and Trevor separated and Maddie smiled and said "Wow. A few minutes ago I hated you and now I'm kissing you."

Trevor smiled and said "Maddie? Do you want to go out with me?"

Maddie didn't even have to think about it as she said "Yes. I do." They both smiled and kissed again, with no one watching them in the process.

The next day, Maddie couldn't be happier. She had a great day at school, mainly because Trevor sat with her the whole day. And at work, nobody bothered her or put a frown on her face. Things got even better after work when Trevor surprised Maddie with flowers and dinner at the Purple Lobster.

After dinner, both of them went to a boy and girl sleepover. After a lot of drunk-free partying, everyone finally went to bed. Maddie thought that she was the only one awake.

She rolled over, expecting to see Trevor sleeping. But he surprised her with his ocean blue eyes looking at her.

After a few minutes of staring into each other's eyes, Trevor whispered "Good night, Maddie."

Maddie crawled over to him as he wrapped his arms around her and she lightly kissed him. "Good night, Trevor." she responded.

The last thing that Maddie heard was Trevor whispering "I love you, Maddie."

Maddie smiled and thought "I love you more than words could ever say, Trevor."

With that, they drifted of to sleep in their loved one's arms for the rest of the night.


	3. Come to Me

**Summary: Troy loves Gabriella, but she has someone else. When her heart's broken, will Troy finally tell her how he feels about her? Troyella oneshot.**

Troy Bolton was in his room trying to do his homework, regretting everything that came out of his mouth 2 months ago. His best friend, also the love of his life, Gabriella Montez, was on a date with Christian, some ass who didn't really love her. He was a dunce who pretended to like Gabriella just to get an A in math, his worst subject.

Before their first date, Gabriella had asked Troy multiple times if she should go out with him.

Troy always fought back the tears and the urge to scream "NO!! SOMEONE ELSE LOVES YOU!!" and said yes every time.

Gabriella seemed really nervous on the date, but the next time Troy saw her, she was so happy he wandered if she was on drugs. Christian said that she was beautiful, smart, caring, funny, and good to have around. He really thought that she was a hot chick, a teacher's pet, too nice, her jokes were stupid, and he thought that she was around too much. Troy barely saw her anymore and when he did, she had bite marks on her neck.

He knew that they were from Christian.

Troy was always giving hints of his love for her, but she was too caught up in her own love life to think about the one Troy wish he had. Christian would always come around and make out with Gabriella right in front of Troy. Gabriella never noticed his clenched fists or his rage and hurt-filled eyes. She never noticed that he always made an excuse to leave even if he had to tell Gabriella something important. She would just forget about it anyway.

Troy sat on his bed staring at the equation in front of his eyes, trying to figure out what X was. But the problem eventually started to change. Troy now saw:

One perfect girl + One dumb ass + One stupid big mouth equals My life. And that's one of the formulas to a really bad thing.

He was about to give up when he heard the doorbell ring. Since he was the only one home, he was forced to leave his room and answer the door.

He walked down the stairs and expected it to be UPS with a package or something, but instead found the one he loved.

Sobbing.

Troy jumped when he saw the sight of Gabriella dropping to her knees with her face in her hands.

Troy helped her up and led her inside to his couch.

He whispered "Hey, hey! What's wrong?"

Gabriella took several deep breaths before choking out "Ch-Christian. He br-broke up with me!"

Troy wasn't surprised.

Today the school had taken their mid-terms and Christian scored an A. He had used Gabriella only to stay on the baseball team. If he scored a C- or lower, he would be kicked off.

Troy knew he was low, but he never expected him to break an innocent girl's heart in order to get what he wanted. He felt himself heating up as he thought about it.

Gabriella said "He u-used me. He said th-that he only wanted to get an A on the exams today. After that, he said I was a worthless piece of trash and time! I can't believe I was used!"

Troy felt himself boil and start to shake with rage. She collapsed into Troy's quivering chest.

She asked "What's wrong with you? Why are you shaking?"

Troy pulled her head closer to his chest and said "I'm debating on weather to shoot that bastard or to strangle him for hurting you. You don't deserve this."

Gabriella smiled and went to wipe her face, but Troy beat her to it.

Gabriella whispered "I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend. You're like my brother."

Troy felt his heart break as she said this. He desperately wished that they were more.

_"Oh well. At least you're a part of her life"_ he thought to himself.

He took a deep breath and said "Thanks. Look, if there's anything I can do for you, you name it."

Gabriella mulled it over for a second and said "The only thing I want right now is your voice. Sing to me?"

Troy was surprised.

He thought that she would say something like "Kick his ass for me please??" He wouldn't mind that though. He also didn't mind singing to her.

He searched his brain for something to sing.

After a minute, he smiled and told her "I just wrote this song 2 seconds ago."

Gabriella seemed impressed as she replied "I'd love to hear it."

Troy took a deep breath and started to sing:

**Under the silver stars,**

**Right where he broke your heart**

**Girl you know, I'd give you anything**

**I wanna hold your hand,**

**And say the words he never said**

Christian never said "I love you" Troy secretly tells her that every time she's in his sight.

**I'll make you promises you can believe**

Christian promised that he would never hurt her as an added bonus. Troy just rolled his eyes, made an excuse and left, thinking "He's brainwashing that girl. She's never going to trust anyone ever again. Even me."

**Let me be the one,**

**Telling you it's alright**

**Sharing the smiles and tears you cry**

**Let me be the one,**

**Loving you when you're weak**

**For all of the strength you need,**

**You can come to me**

**When you're down and you feel so lonely**

**Turn around, you can come to me**

**When you're down baby, I will be the only**

**Come to me**

**You can just be yourself,**

**'Cause I don't want nobody else**

Gabriella wasn't the same since she met Christian. She wore fewer clothes, wore more makeup, and spoke a little differently. This wasn't the Gabriella Troy met a year ago.

**All of your secrets are safe with me**

Whenever Gabriella told Christian a secret, he would spread it to the whole school and blamed someone else. Troy just watched in disgust.

**For the kind of love you can trust,**

**For more than just a crush,**

Christian was always calling Gabriella a chick and telling his friends that the only good thing about her was that she was hot. Troy just walked away with his teeth clenched at the thought of Gabriella not being respected.

**Baby, why don't you just come to me?**

**Let me be the one,**

**Telling you it's alright**

**Sharing the smiles and tears you cry**

**Let me be the one,**

**Loving you when you're weak**

**For all of the strength you need,**

**You can come to me**

**When I've got you in my arms**

**Say it's where you wanna be **

**'Cause girl I'm down on my knees**

**Promising my heart, oh my heart**

**Let me be the one,**

**Telling you it's alright**

**Sharing the smiles and tears you cry**

**Let me be the one,**

**Loving you when you're weak**

**For all of the strength you need,**

**You can come to me**

Day or night, busy or bored, sick or in health, Troy promised himself that he would be there for the one he loved. No matter what. That's what he promised himself as he sang this song.

**Let me be the one,**

**Telling you it's alright**

**Sharing the smiles and tears you cry**

**Let me be the one,**

**Loving you when you're weak**

**For all of the strength you need,**

**You can come to me**

**Whenever you need me, ah**

**Whenever you need me girl**

**Whenever you need me, ah**

**Oh, I'll be there**

**Whenever you need me, ah**

**Whenever you need me girl**

**Whenever you need me, ah**

**Oh, I'll be there**

He finally gathered up the courage to tell her what he's wanted to say to her for a whole year.

**Just reach out, reach out, reach out for me**

He leaned down to an awestruck Gabriella and whispered in her ear "I love you Gabriella Montez."

Gabriella's eyes were now glossed with tears as she whispered back "I love you too Troy Bolton."


	4. Bring Me to Life

**Summary: Gabriella's the mean girl. Troy's has a "Whatever" life. They meet on vacation, but instead of singing "The Start of Something New" it's "Bring Me to Life" Will they change each other's point of view on life?**

**Song: Bring Me to Life**

**Artist: Evanescence**

"MOM!! I'M NOT GOING TO THAT GAY PARTY!! YOU MUST BE REALLY STUPID IF YOU THINK THAT I'M GOING!! NO!! NOW SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

Mrs. Montez sighed and rolled her eyes. This was ordinary behavior for her daughter, Gabriella.

She shook her head and said "Gabby, please go. It'll be good for you! I've spent 5,000 dollars on this trip and all you've done is get on your laptop and go shopping by yourself."

Gabriella pretended that her mother wasn't there and continued typing.

Mrs. Montez had finally had enough and walked over to her daughter. She pulled the laptop away from Gabriella and shut it, not saving any of her data.

Gabriella's mouth dropped as she screamed "WHAT THE HELL MOM?! I WAS TALKING TO JADIN!!"

Mrs. Montez sighed in disgust.

Jadin was Gabriella's boyfriend, much to her parents' dislike. He was rude, obnoxious, smelly, and a total whore-lover. He always tried to hit on Mrs. Montez, even when Mr. Montez was around. But he always acted so kindly to Gabriella, which made the parents sick.

She finally said "Look Gabriella! I'm the adult, you're the child! I'm TELLING you to go to that party whether you like it or not! I'll give you the laptop back when you come back!"

Gabriella stood up to her mother with fire in her eyes and growled "No. Now!"

Mrs. Montez shot back "Do you want it back at ALL?!"

Gabriella finally screamed and stomped off to her room to get ready for the party, but feeling like it wasn't going to be as bad as she

thought it would be.

--

"TROY! Where are you?"

Troy Bolton groaned as his mother called his name from the kitchen. Troy picked up the remote from the couch he was lying on and surfed the channels.

Mrs. Bolton walked in from the kitchen and said to her 17 year old son "Troy, when are you going to get a life?"

Troy responded flatly "I have one. I'm breathing aren't I?"

Mrs. Bolton sighed and said "I mean when are you going to get active? There are so many things out there to do and all YOU do is watch TV and log into Myspace."

Troy rolled his blue eyes again and said "Would it make you feel better if I went to that stupid party tonight?"

What he wanted to say was "_Will you shut up and leave me alone if I go to that stupid party?"_

Mrs. Bolton mulled it over for a moment and said "Well, Ok. I would also like you to go skiing. You remember how well you did last time!"

Troy laughed sarcastically. His mother obviously wasn't there when he crashed into 10 elderly women. An instructor that looked like Troy and had a similar outfit was why she thought he did so well.

Troy sighed and headed for his room, having a feeling that something very interesting was about to happen.

--

When Troy got to the party, the interesting feeling was long gone. There were people all over the place having a good time. The only problem was that they were all either 11 or 12. Troy scanned the room multiple times for something to do or for someone his age, only to find the same thing every time. Nothing. The only thing happening to him were the girls coming up to him and trying their best to flirt with him. But that just made him sick. When someone tried to touch his dirty blonde hair, he just walked away like they weren't there, not surprised at the fact that they always followed him. He was about to go ski when the interesting feeling came back as he looked into the most beautiful brown eyes he has ever seen in his entire life. A snobby looking girl of about 17 strutted into the party like she owned the place in black leather boots, a mini skirt, and a tank top with a coat hanging off of her arm. She didn't look like she was cold at all. She reminded Troy of his ex-girlfriend, Sharpay Evans. She sat in a chair and crossed her legs. She took out her sidekick and started to do something that looked like texting. "Probably her boyfriend." Troy thought. A girl like that cannot be walking around single. He finally got the guts to talk to her. He casually walked in her direction and was about to make his move, but froze when the spotlight shone in his eyes. He didn't even have 2 feet on the ground when all sorts of people surrounded him and tried to pull him onto the tiny stage in the middle of the room. He looked in the girl's direction and realized that the second spotlight was shining on her. She was fighting the various people trying to pull her up to the stage. She eventually gave up after they had a hold on her arms and abdomen. When she was standing on stage, she glared at the people were walking away.

Troy heard her mumble "If looks could kill, those bastards would drop dead."

She looked around at the audience until her eyes landed on Troy. Her icy look quickly changed into a look of surprise.

Troy wasn't certain of everything yet.

Someone came onstage and said "Ok guys! You both know the song "Bring me to life?"

Troy and Gabriella both slowly nodded.

The guy smiled even more and said "Oh good! Now, when the screen is blue, that means you sing." he said, pointing to Troy.

Troy nodded and said "In other words, I have all the dude's parts?"

The guy nodded and said "And you sweetie, will sing all of Amy's parts, the purple parts. Ok?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes when he called her "sweetie", but nodded.

The man finished with "But on the last "Bring me to life", you both sing. Alright?"

Troy and Gabriella nodded as the man walked off stage.

They both took deep breaths and one last look at each other before the music started.

The screen turned purple, but Gabriella didn't it. She knew that song like the back of her hand. She started:

**G- How can you see into my eyes like open doors?**

**Leading you down into my core**

**Where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold **

**Until you find it there and lead it back home**

Troy joined in:

**T- Wake me up!**

Gabriella eyed him. She didn't think his voice was that bad. She continued. They both switched back and forth until the second verse.

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- I can't wake up!**

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- Save me!**

**G- Call my name and save me from the dark**

**T- Wake me up!**

**G- Bid my blood to run**

**T- I can't wake up!**

**G- Before I come undone**

**T- Save me!**

**G- Save me from the nothing I've become**

Gabriella was getting into it. She glanced over at Troy who was removing his jacket. She grinned and continued.

**G- Now that I know what I'm without**

**You can't just leave me**

**Breathe into me and make me real**

**Bring me to life**

Troy was now singing stronger, urging Gabriella to follow his example. She cautiously got louder and stronger, not removing her smile.

**T- Wake me up**

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- I can't wake up**

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- Save me**

**G- Call my name and save me from the dark**

**T- Wake me up**

**G- Bid my blood to run**

**T- I can't wake up**

**G- Before I come undone**

**T- Save me**

**G- Save me from the nothing I've become**

**Both- Bring me to life**

Gabriella noticed that Troy couldn't take his eyes off of her and started to walk a little closer. She turned to him, keeping her hand on the microphone stand. Troy continued.

**T- I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside**

**Both- Bring me to life**

Gabriella decided to have fun with the attention Troy was giving her. She closed her eyes and acted like she was a big star performing on stage, which gained more attention by Troy.

**G- Frozen inside without your touch without your love darling **

**Only you are the life among the dead**

Troy snapped out of his daze like state and sang:

**T- All this time I can't believe I couldn't see**

**Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me**

Gabriella forgot about his voice and continued

**G- I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems**

**Got to open my eyes to everything**

Troy thought that they sounded awesome together.

**T- Without a thought without a voice without a soul**

**Don't let me die here**

**There must be something more**

Gabriella took in a deep breath for the long note she had to hold. She closed her eyes and leaned back slightly. Troy smiled mischievously. He planned to have a little fun with her.

**G- Bring me to life**

**T- Wake me up**

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- I can't wake up**

**G- Wake me up inside**

**T- Save me**

**G- Call my name and save me from the dark**

When Gabriella opened her eyes, she was so startled to see Troy there, she tripped off-stage.

Thankfully, someone caught her and pushed her back on-stage.

She glared at Troy, who was trying his best not to laugh.

She grinned and thought "Hmmm. Maybe this guy isn't that bad. He's pretty interesting. And pretty hot." and continued with the song.

**T- Wake me up**

**G- Bid my blood to run**

**T- I can't wake up**

**G- Before I come undone**

**T- Save me**

**G- Save me from the nothing I've become**

**Both- Bring me to life**

**T- I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside **

They both sang the last line.

**Both- Bring me to life**

By now, Gabriella had forgiven Troy for tripping her, but was still wondering "Who is this guy?"

Troy answered that question a few seconds later when he said "Troy."

Gabriella looked at the hand Troy was offering her.

She grinned slightly and said "Gabriella."


	5. No Matter What

**Summary: Gabriella dumps Troy to join a clique at school. But what she doesn't know is that the clique has something planned for her. Something deadly. When she's close to dead, will Troy be her knight in shining armor?**

**Song: On Your Own**

**Artist: Nick Lachey**

* * *

**You live with a halo round your head  
This time you're leaving**

Troy walked through the rain thinking about what had happened the past week. Gabriella had broken up with him because she thought that he wasn't cool enough for her, but it was only because she wanted to join the most dangerous clique in school, the Omanettes. He smirked at the memory.

**FLASHBACK**

"_Troy, don't you get it?! You're nothing! You're pathetic! I only went out with you in the first place because I felt sorry for you when your brother died! He was a nothing too! I'm glad Trevor got shot! It made everyone's life easier! We're over!" Gabriella scoffed at him._

_He just shrugged and said calmly "OK. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. And you're right. Trevor was… odd. But hey. He was only 3 when he went, right? Anyways, have fun with the Omanettes. I wish you the best. Bye." With that, he turned and walked back to his car. _

**END FLASHBACK**

**This place where the walls are painted red  
Freedom is what you need**

**1 WEEK EARLIER**

Gabriella had just been approached by the Omanettes, a clique in school who did nothing but cause trouble and bully other people around, even the teachers. Gabriella had accidentally bumped into a nerd at school on a really bad day. She was pissed enough as it was, but when her books flew everywhere, she exploded. She cussed him out and kicked his "area". The Omanettes just happened to be watching and they liked what they saw.

They called her to them and said "Hey. That was cool how you dissed that asshole."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow confusingly and asked "Really? I guess I've just had a really bad day. No big deal."

She started to walk away, but the troublemakers grabbed her arm.

The head Omanette, Jessica, said "Hold up! You're gonna act like us, but not BE one of us? That's not right! What's your name?"

Gabriella eyed them and said "Gabriella Montez. What are you getting at? You want me to join the Omanettes?"

Jessica and the girls nodded.

She said "How about you meet us on Friday? You'll do something that you hate or are afraid of and it'll be official. What's your biggest fear?"

Gabriella thought a little and said "Well, I can't stand heights, but-"

"But nothin'! If you wanna join, you have to face your biggest fear and break up with that loser boyfriend of yours! Tell you what. Meet us at the big telephone pole at 7 on Friday. Be there or screw you."

Gabriella gulped. She wanted to join the Omanettes, but she was afraid to just climb a 4 foot fence! She took a deep breath and said "OK. See you ther- wait! I have to break up with Troy?!"

Jessica smiled and said "Yeah! The Omanettes never love anyone or anything! So, you goin'?"

Gabriella gaped at them. She couldn't love Troy anymore than she already did. But, to save the pathetic reputation she had, she had to be and Omanette.

She nodded slowly.

Jessica grinned and said "Alright. Come on guys! See you later Montez!" She left Gabriella with a hard punch in her arm. She waited until they weren't looking to rub her sore arm. She then thought about what she had just done. She was about to be an Omanette on Friday.

A single Omanette.

--

The days went by and by now it was Thursday. Gabriella was getting even more worried. Tomorrow she would be an Omanette. She would become someone who trash-talked the people she cared about and risk her life to impress her new friends everyday. She also thought about having to dump Troy. If she didn't she wouldn't be able to join the group. She then figured that she would have to do it today. She hadn't told Troy about the encounter yet. She decided to tell him when she broke up with him.

She found him in the gym shooting some hoops with his best friend, Chad Danforth. She smiled and kissed him quickly.

She said "Hey Wildcats! Listen, Troy can I meet you at the beach today after school?"

Troy smiled and nodded saying "Sure. Why?"

Gabriella replied "I want to… show you something."

Troy didn't notice the hesitation and answered "OK! See you there!"

Gabriella smiled and walked out, breathing heavily. Yeah, she wanted to show him something alright.

The new Gabriella.

--

School finally ended and Gabriella headed to the beach. She walked in the warm sand for a few minutes waiting for Troy.

She finally saw him run up to him and say "Hey! What's up? What do you need to show me?"

Gabriella smiled and put her plan into action. She walked up to him and said "Hey! This is what I wanted to show you." She then raised her hand and made painful contact with his face. Troy clutched his burning cheek and fell backwards. Gabriella glared at him and said coldly "The new Gabriella Montez."

Troy got to his feet and stared at her in disbelief. He then asked "Did you just slap me?!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and said sarcastically "No! Of course I did you idiot!"

Troy stared at her like she was crazy and said "Why?!"

She replied "Because I was approached by the Omanettes and I'm joining them tomorrow! Us girls don't love, especially gay assholes like you! I'm going to hang off of the tallest telephone pole tomorrow and then I'll be and Omanette!"

Troy then ditched the surprised mood and switched to calmness. He said "Really? Oh, I actually thought you loved me or something."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and said "Troy, don't you get it?! You're nothing! You're pathetic! I only went out with you in the first place because I felt sorry for you when your brother died! He was a nothing too! I'm glad Trevor got shot! It made everyone's life easier! We're over!" Gabriella scoffed at him.

He just shrugged and calmly said "OK. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. And you're right. Trevor was… odd. But hey. He was only 12 when he went, right? Anyways, have fun with the Omanettes. I wish you the best. Bye."

With that, he turned and walked back to his car, leaving Gabriella stunned. He took it perfectly. It's like he wanted to break up. That, or he was planning something. She turned slowly and walked home, wondering that if this didn't go well, would he be able to forgive her.

--

The next day at 7:00, Gabriella walked to the big telephone pole near Jessica's house and found them there side by side with their arms crossed coolly.

Gabriella took a deep breath and walked up to them saying "Hey guys! Ready?"

Jessica and her friends nodded and said "Hell yeah! Question is, are YOU ready?"

Gabriella nodded. She wasn't totally ready, but ready enough to at least climb the pole.

Jessica said "Alright. Come on."

They all started for the pole and got ready to climb it. They hoisted themselves up and started climbing. Jessica was the first, but Gabriella was at the bottom. She closed her eyes and didn't look down as she felt her way up.

When she found that there was nothing else to grab onto, she opened her eyes and saw that she was at the top. She grabbed Jessica's outstretched hand and balanced herself on the pole. She started to walk, but stumbled and was forced to view the ground.

She froze. It was like looking at doll houses.

Jessica shook her and said "Hey, don't worry. We'll be here the whole time. All you have to do is deal with it and hold on, OK?"

Gabriella quickly nodded. She thought that she could handle that. She inhaled and, very carefully, walked to the center of the pole tower. She knelt down and took hold of the rope. She was so scared she felt like throwing up. But she held it down and grabbed the wire with her other hand. She was now holding on with both hands. She moved to a sitting position and took one last deep breath. She inched closer and closer to the edge until she found that if she moved a muscle, she would officially be off of the tower. She breathed in and kicked herself off of the roof. She held on with all of her strength and closed her eyes.

She heard Jessica say "Open your eyes! There's no point in doing this if you're not going to face the fact that you're 50 feet off of the ground only being supported by a flimsy wire!"

Gabriella panicked. She didn't know that she was 50 feet above land.

She took several deep breaths before finally calming down. She didn't know why she calmed down though. She couldn't stand heights but she felt very safe somehow. She looked up to find Jessica and the gang still there smiling.

One of the girls looked at her watch and called out "Only 30 seconds to go and you're an Omanette!"

Gabriella smiled. She was almost finished. The safe feeling was getting even more powerful every second. She counted down and when she reached 5, she reached out for Jessica's hand. She felt her take it and start to pull her up.

But Jessica paused and said "Oh wait! There's one more thing you have to do before you come up!"

Gabriella groaned and said "And that would be…"

Jessica grinned evilly and said "Let go of the pole."

She ripped her hand away from Gabriella's and laughed wickedly.

Gabriella let out a scream and shouted "What the hell are you doing?!"

Jessica and her friends rolled their eyes and Jessica said "You honestly think that we would let a doosh bag like you join the Omanettes? You're so stupid!"

Gabriella couldn't believe it. The people who she thought were her friends had set her up. Then again, they WERE the Omanettes. They lead you to think one thing and you end up differently.

She looked at all of the girls and Jessica, who said "Say goodbye Montez!"

With that, she stomped on Gabriella's fingers grabbing onto the wire, crushing them. She howled and let go of the wire, freefalling to the ground below her.

**But if the world should ever fall apart around you**

As she fell, she saw her life flash before her eyes. From the time she was born to when she climbed the pole. But what she really paid attention to was the time she met Troy. When they sang "The Start of Something New", she felt herself start to cry. She thought about the last thing she said to him. We're over. She also thought about never seeing him again. She just cried more.

She couldn't believe that it had to end like this. She watched as the wire seemed to be shrinking smaller and smaller. The Omanettes were laughing hysterically as Gabriella fell. It made her sick to realize that people gained satisfaction at other people's pain.

A few seconds later, Gabriella saw that the pole couldn't get any smaller. She knew that the ground was only a few feet away. She took a deep breath and prepared for her last seconds of life. The last thing she said before hitting the ground was "Troy."**  
**

**And if you're lost and barely breathing  
I will find you**

The second Troy's name escaped her throat, Gabriella felt her legs, arms, fingers, ankles, and almost every other bone in her body snap and break. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Her throat was in too much pain. She felt her clothes grow wet. Not from the rain, from the blood. She tasted a thick and salty fluid in her mouth. She knew that it was blood. She felt some teeth slide down her throat. She tried to move her upper level of teeth, but couldn't. She then realized that she had bitten through her tongue. That must have been why she had so much blood in her mouth. She felt the tears burn her eyes and make their way down her bruised and bloody cheeks. She also felt blood tag along from her eyebrow area. She couldn't move. It hurt to breath because a few of her ribs were broken. She painfully coughed a few times and saw that blood mixed with saliva was coming out. She just cried more from the pain. She tried to move her fingers, but she cringed when she felt them broken, from the fall and from Jessica crushing them with her foot on the wire. She was also certain that she had a concussion from how much her head was throbbing. To make things worse, it was raining hail. Out of all of this, she still felt the safe feeling getting closer every second. She looked around her without moving her broken head and saw the Omanettes running away, still laughing their butts off. She closed her eyes and started sobbing against her throat's wishes. Her breaths were getting shorter and shorter. She felt the life slip away from her slowly.

She thought _"This is the end. I'm going to die. Goodbye cruel world. Goodbye mom. Goodbye friends."_ She then whispered "Goodbye Troy."

She sat back and prepared to die, but felt someone pick her upper half up off of the ground and lay her head down in their lap. Then a very familiar voice whispered "Why would you say goodbye when I'm right here?"

Gabriella's eyes snapped open. She then found herself staring into the most beautiful baby blue eyes she's ever seen in her entire life. The eyes she saw almost everyday. They eyes she broke up with. They eyes of Troy Bolton.

**  
And carry you back home**

Gabriella was speechless. The moment she was about to die, the love of her life comes and saves her. His timing couldn't be any better. She whispered "Troy. What are you doing here?"

Troy brushed a stray hair away from her forehead and answered "I always come here when I want to save the ones I love from dying."

Gabriella giggled, only to make her throat sting more. She didn't care. It would've hurt more if Troy wasn't there. He seemed to be her painkiller.

She said "Oh, so Troy's got jokes?"

Troy flashed his famous 100 watt smile, which sent a shiver down Gabriella's spine. Troy responded "Yeah, but now's not the best time to tell them. You're life is more important."

Gabriella frowned. "I thought you hated me. You know, 'because I broke up with you."

**  
I won't forsake the only love I ever known  
When you're out there on your own**

Troy shook his head like he was disappointed and said "I won't let you go that easily, Gabriella. I knew that something like this would happen. You can never trust the Omanettes. You're not the first one they set up. They almost got me too. But I didn't fall for it. They think they're cool and that everyone loves them, but in reality, no one can stand them. I can tell you wouldn't have lasted a day with them. Now come on. Let's get you to home."

He went to lift her up, but she stopped him and said "Wait! Home? Why not the hospital?"

Troy grinned and answered "Like I said. I knew something like this would happen. I called the ambulance a few minutes after you started hanging on the wire. They're waiting for us."

Gabriella smiled and started crying again. She nodded, which made her neck ache more. She was surprised that she didn't break her that or her back. Troy stood up and carried her bridal style. Gabriella felt her eyes getting heavier. But before she drifted off to sleep, she whispered "Troy?"

He answered "Yeah?"

Gabriella went on "When I broke up with you, what I said about Trevor, I just… I didn't-"

Troy cut her off "Shhh. It's OK. I know you didn't mean it. You were pressured."

Gabriella started to sob and choked out "But even if I was pressured, I still shouldn't have said those things! How could that not hurt you?!"

Troy tensed and responded "You're right, but you were also confused. And that did hurt me. It was probably the most painful thing I've ever heard in my life."

This just made her cry harder. She sobbed "I'm-so-sorry for-hu, hurting-you like that!"

Troy stopped walking and sat down cradling her head in his chest. He stroked her hair and said "It's OK Gabby. As long as you didn't mean it. I'll love you no matter how much you hurt me."

Gabriella didn't think that she could cry any harder, but she did and her body shook with pain. Troy rocked back and forth trying to calm her down. It seemed to work because she slowly stopped sobbing. He then felt her fall limp in his chest.

Dark clouds they surround you in the sky  
Rain falls when you're sleeping  
When you're past the point of no return  
I will take away the hurt

Troy looked down and breathed a sigh of relief to see that she had only fallen asleep. He stood up and carried her across the field to the hill where you could see the entire neighborhood. It looked beautiful. The contrast of the rain against the lights made it so pretty. Troy then looked down at the beaten and tattered girl in his arms. Even through the cold rain, he felt himself grow hot with furry. Even though what the Omanettes did was predicable, Troy was angry at the fact that they almost killed his girlfriend. He vowed to himself to not let the Omanettes hurt anyone else again. When he saw someone talking to them, he would make an excuse to get them away from the girls. He would then explain to them what he was doing. They would thank him later. He jumped back to reality and continued on the journey back to Gabriella's house. Even if he was there to emotionally heal her, he could tell that her body wouldn't be able to hang on much longer without medical help.

And if the world should ever fall apart around you  
And if you're lost and barely breathing  
I will find you  
And carry you back home  
I won't forsake the only love I ever known  
When you're out there...

And I will wait  
However long it takes  
Till you realize what you have been searching for  
Was right here all along  
Eh... yea...

When you lost the only light you had to guide you  
And you're cold and barely breathing  
I will find you  
And carry you back home  
I won't forsake the only love I ever known  
When you're out there on your own

**  
And if the world should ever fall apart around you  
And if you're lost and barely breathing  
I will find you  
And carry you back home  
I won't forsake the only love I ever known**

Troy closer to Gabriella's house every second. When he came into the light, Gabriella stirred and woke up. She looked up into Troy's eyes and whispered "I love you so much." Troy bent down and kissed her forehead. He then answered "I love you too. No matter what, I'll love you forever."

When you're out there on your own


	6. Haunted by Your Love

**Summary: She couldn't love him. She wouldn't love him. She did love him. So much, she tries to escape out of fear. But will he let her?**

**Song: Haunted**

**Artist: Evanescence**

* * *

**Long lost words whisper slowly to me**

There you stood. Staring at me. Taunting me. Making me feel the way I shouldn't. Making me feel like I was going to die any second. Like the devil was right behind me with his pitchfork held high, ready for the attack. I looked at the ground and though I couldn't see it, I knew that you were coming after me. I knew that you were walking towards me. I could feel your footsteps in the dry earth. Your heart was pounding along with mine, as though they were one. Taylor stood beside me, watching it all happen. She knew what you wanted and so did I.

She walked in front of me quickly and whispered "Gabby. Get...out...now."

I nodded quickly as my thank you to her rescue. I took one last look behind me where you should've been, but you weren't there. You were gone. But I had an idea of where you were. Where you were headed. I turned and ran away from here. Away from them. Away from you.

--

When I got to my sanctuary known as my home, I ran inside and locked the door. My mother was out for the night, and yet I could feel another presence in the house. Your presence. I felt scared. Like you were going to jump out at me at any moment. I knew you were. If only I knew which moment it was. I ran through the house and didn't find you anywhere, but I knew that you were still there. You were spying on me. Teasing me. Trying to get me to love you. But you didn't have to. I already did love you. I knew it. You knew it. Everyone knew it. But I wasn't supposed to. No one was.

You were Troy Bolton. The playboy of East High. Hump and dump. That's your motto. You've done half of the girls at school and even some of the girls you've met at parties. Girls you don't even know. But you knew me. And you wanted me. Badly. I tried to stop myself from loving you, but it was pointless. I couldn't help it. I had fallen in love. Hard. So hard that I might have just broken my own heart.

I ran up the stairs to my room. I ran through and locked the door, just like all of the others. I could feel you now more than ever. You were right behind me. I could feel your breath on my neck. I could hear my heart beating from deep within my body and I could feel your heart against my back. You whispered in my ear "Say it."

I shook my head and answered "Never."

You put your hands on my waist and slowly ran your hand down my leg whispering "Say it. Say you love me."

I bit my lip. I didn't know how much longer I could take it. The lie. The love. The fear. I turned around slowly and stared into your eyes, drowning in a baby blue ocean. I laid my hand on your chest, leaned in, and just as I was about to kiss you, I stopped and whispered "Make me."

**Long lost words whisper slowly to me  
Still can't find what keeps me here  
When all this time I've been so hollow inside  
**

**I know you're still there  
**

That's when you've finally had enough. You tossed us both on the bed and threw yourself on top of me with furry in your eyes. You couldn't take the lie anymore either. You needed me. And I needed you. But I wouldn't allow myself to have you. I couldn't.

You crashed your lips onto mine and your hands raced up and down my sides. I felt you shove your tongue into my mouth and I felt the need to wrap my arms around your neck. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't fight the urge. I lifted my arms and tangled my fingers in your hair. You pulled back for a split second for air and then reapplied yourself onto me. I dug my head back into the mattress of my bed in a desperate attempt to breathe, but you wouldn't let me. You swooped down and captured my lips again. I put it off for as long as I could stand, but soon I came to find that I couldn't take it anymore. I needed oxygen. I turned my head to the side, which also gave you the opportunity to attack my neck. You latched yourself onto my skin and began kissing it hungrily. I moaned and tried to escape, but you had a firm hold on my waist. I wasn't going anywhere.

After 10 minutes of the torture and 5 tries of running, you pulled away only slightly and whispered in between breaths "I'm not letting you go until you admit that you can't stop loving me."

I shook my head with tears in my eyes. We were never going to get out of this godforsaken bed. I breathed deeply and responded "Just let me go. Please, I'm begging you."

I could feel you shake your head against my neck. "Not until you say you love me."

I let the tears fall as I said "What's the point if you don't love me back?"

"Whoever said I didn't?"

I froze. You loved me? Or was it just another trick? A prank on my heart. I was now to the point of wanting to push you off and run away to anywhere, but I couldn't. I couldn't survive without you. I loved you too much. And I hated it. I just sobbed more.

You seemed to read my mind. You stroked my hair and lifted you head away from mine enough for me to stare at your face. You were so gorgeous. Your eyes showed everything about you, unlike other guys. I didn't really know what to think of you. Maybe mysterious, caring, aggressive, protective... the list goes on and on.

But no matter how much I loved you, I couldn't tell you that I did. You knew, so what was the point of saying it. You would probably think that I'm ashamed of you or something. I couldn't let that happen. But I couldn't tell you. I couldn't. I wouldn't.

**  
Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Fearing you, loving you  
I won't let you pull me down**

I dragged myself from under you to sit up. I looked in your desperate eyes. You knew I loved you. So why are you so desperate for me to say it? This question, I can not answer. I took a few deep breaths before I felt you pull me back down below you. You planted your lips on mine again before breathing "Yes Gabriella. I love you too."

I couldn't breath. Not from the kiss, but from the shock. I was right. You loved me too. If I knew it, than why am I so surprised? Because I never thought that you would actually say it. I thought that you were always going to tease me about it. But here you are, technically raping me. Forcing my glossed lips against yours, stroking the most sensitive parts of my body. You knew everything. Where to touch me so that it would drive me crazy. And it was. I just wanted to eat you. I loved you.

You couldn't take it anymore. You detached for a second before demanding "Say it already. I can't take it anymore. Please."

All of a sudden, I wanted to. I wanted to tell the world. I pushed him off and stared into his eyes one last time. Now I couldn't. I wouldn't. I shook my head.

Hunting you, I can smell you - alive  
Your heart pounding in my head

You sighed angrily and said "Gabriella-"

I shook my head violently and tried to explain "Troy, I can't! Why can't you understa-"

You have now reached your limit. The end of the rope. The end of your heart. You shouted "TELL ME DAMMIT!!"

Unfortunately, so have I. I screamed "I LOVE YOU!!"

**  
Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Saving me, raping me, watching me**

Watching me, wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down

**Fearing you... loving you...  
**

You looked me in the eyes and smiled. "What took you so long?"

I touched your cheek and replied with a grin "Traffic. Now shut up and kiss me."

You smiled and followed orders. My slave. My Troy. My lover.

**I won't let you pull me down**


	7. My Immortal

**Summary: Troy dumps Gabriella to be with Sharpay. When the talent show arrives, will she tell him how she feels about it? Through song?**

**Song: My Immortal**

**Artist: Evanescence**

* * *

"And now ladies and gentlemen, we have... Gabriella Montez, singing a song she wrote herself called 'My Immortal'! Give it up!'"

The audience applauded, except for 2 people, Troy Bolton and Sharpay Evans.

Troy had just dumped Gabriella only to get together with Sharpay. And Sharpay just hated Gabriella for taking Troy in the first place.

Gabriella took the stage and sat down at the baby grand piano. She took a deep breath and started play the notes. Then she started to sing:

**I'm so tired of being here**

**Suppressed by all my childish fears**

Since Troy broke up with her, it was like she living in a pit of darkness and she hated it. She was so afraid that people would take it the wrong way and say that she was sick, so she stayed home sometimes, which worried her mother.

Ms. Montez thought "What has that boy done to my daughter? Doesn't he know how she felt about him?"

**And if you have to leave**

**I wish that you would just leave**

**'Cause your presence still lingers here**

**And it won't leave me alone**

Whenever she was at school, she saw Troy in the hall, either kissing Sharpay or talking about how his time was wasted with Gabriella. And sometimes, people said that he had to go somewhere. But if he was with Sharpay, he would say that he would do it later. Most of the time, Gabriella couldn't go anywhere because she had to make up work. But she wished that he would leave, to spare her at least some pain.

**These wounds won't seem to heal**

**This pain is just too real**

**There's just too much that time cannot erase**

**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears**

When Troy's grandfather died, she was by his side 24/7. The funeral was the worst. Troy didn't stop crying. But Gabriella said comforting words that seemed to help a little.

Later, his dad said "Keep this one around."

Troy said "I promise, I will".

He obviously broke his promise.

**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**

Troy couldn't stand snakes. When he and Gabriella were walking in the park once, a small snake slithered right up to him. He screamed and jumped.

Gabriella chased it and screamed "SHOO! GO! GET OUT OF HERE! GO PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE OR GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC!"

Afterwards, she turned back to a very pale Troy.

He said "Thanks. That means a lot."

She kissed him and said "All in a day's work."

**And I held your hand through all of these years**

**But you still have**

**All of me**

Anytime anyone saw the two, they were holding hands. Gabriella had tried to let go of these memories, but Troy's hold on her heart was too powerful. He still had all of her.

**You used to captivate me**

**By your resonating light**

**Now I'm bound by the life you left behind**

**Your face it haunts**

**My once pleasant dreams**

Every night since their break up, Gabriella had nightmares about Troy.

She always woke up screaming in a cold sweat, thinking "Why can't let go? Why won't this just leave me alone?"

**Your voice it chased away**

**All the sanity in me**

Anytime she heard his voice, she would start to break down and cry. That made people think that she was even more insane.

**These wounds won't seem to heal**

**This pain is just too real**

**There's just too much that time cannot erase**

**I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone**

Everyday, Gabriella told herself "He doesn't control your life, Gabriella! Let go of him! He's not worth it!"

But the more she told herself that, the more she cried.

**But though you're still with me**

**I've been alone all along**

No one ever invited her anywhere anymore. She barely ever saw Taylor anymore. She scared her away too. Just when she needed her the most, she bailed on her.

**When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears**

**When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears**

**And I held your hand through all of these years**

**But you still have**

As she played the last notes, a single tear ran down her cheek, like always. But this time, everyone seemed to notice why.

Even Troy.

**All of me**

She finished the song and sat there for a second.

Suddenly, the entire auditorium roared with applause. She pretended to look at everyone, but she was really paying attention to Troy.

Seeing the shocked look on his face, Gabriella whispered "Thank you."

She then ran off stage. She slid down to the floor and cried. She stood up and got ready to leave, but she felt someone hug her from behind. She whipped around only to be looking in his crystal blue eyes.

Troy said "I'm sorry Gabriella. I didn't know how much it was hurting you. I didn't know that this big change was because of me. I only went to Sharpay because of a bet. They said that if I could pretend to hate the person I loved the most and pretend to love the person I hated the most, they would pay me 50 dollars. I was in my retarded mood when I accepted it. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

Gabriella lost it and sobbed into his chest, saying "Troy, I don't know what to think. I'm such a mess right now. I didn't know how much you affected my life."

Troy lifted her head in order to make eye contact.

He said "I guess I took that bet too seriously. I was planning to dump her after I got the money, but after seeing you like this, I changed my mind. I didn't know why you were like this, but now I do. I know it's because of me. And I'm sorry."

At that moment, he leaned in and kissed her.

When he did, Gabriella felt the life flood back into her and the life she was currently living out.

He pulled back and whispered "I love you."

Gabriella replied "Me too. Thank you. You saved me."


	8. Heavenly Savior

**Summary: You always have someone watching over you. No matter how vein you are, you'll always be loved. Even in death. One question: Do you believe in angels? Rypay.**

Here we go again. It's all about you. The God that no one seems to get enough of. The creator of all that's living. The dictator of all mankind.

You are my sister, Sharpay.

Everyone bows down at your feet and stares as you crush their fingers with your overpriced high heels. They take the pain as a way of being recognized by someone of your status, beauty, and importance. You've got them all under your thumb.

But if anyone should know the truth about you, it's me.

Your brother Ryan.

Remember me? I'm your twin that bows down with the rest of them. I'm the one that stares, but I can see right through you. I see the ice that refuses to melt across your heart. I know who you really are.

But you don't even know my name. You left home when you were 5 because you claimed that you "didn't belong in this small talk crowd." You needed to take your stardom to a new level. You walked out on the street and was suddenly hit by a drunk driver. You wondered how you transferred from the cold, bloody road to a hospital bed. You forgot all about running away and stayed home, no one reminding you about your previous plans. Instead, I made sure that no one told you about me. You forgot about everything that day, from the lines to the upcoming play to your own brother. You learned everything else in about a week, but I kept myself away from you. I was the reason that you were hit. I was your bad luck.

Since that disastrous day, you believed in angels. You had many near-death experiences that you were miraculously rescued from. You looked around nonstop for your mystery savior, but they were nowhere to be found. They were right in front of you. A stalker. A protector. A sacrifice.

Everyone at school knows about the situation. They know about me keeping myself from you and wanting to protect you. They knew. They knew everything. They knew that I loved you.

Not just because I'm your brother. I love you more than I should. More than I'm expected to. I don't love you like a sibling. I love you like Troy Bolton loves Gabriella Montez. Remember them? The ones that we tried to beat out of the musical but they ended up in it anyway? They got together and after a while, they fell in love.

I was born in love. I didn't have to look or wait. You were right there. We ran like fools through the park and fields hand in hand, laughing like a new married couple.

And then mom introduced you to the world of drama and theatre. You booked every play you tried out for, and soon enough, you became a diva. You had everything you wanted just by giving that icy glare. You lost the one that I fell in love with, but I kept track of her. Every night I sneak in the house and walk to your room. You're out on the balcony, crying your heart out and gripping a picture frame with a blurred photo. You could see the emerald eyes perfectly, but everything else was sogged into nothing. Every time you let out the last tear, you whisper "I'll find you one day angel. I promise."

That was the last time. The last time that you looked into the eyes of the photo. No one else knew. They didn't know why you were losing weight, no matter how much you ate. They didn't know why you lost sleep no matter how tired you were. They didn't know.

They didn't know that I was gone. They were clueless to the fact that I was no longer existent. They didn't know that I had died. I laid back, closed my eyes, and saw your face. Pained. Lifeless. Dead. You couldn't breathe enough to survive. You need someone there, right beside you. But I couldn't let you see me. I couldn't let you know that I was alive. But you believed in angels. You knew that I was out there somewhere. Or up.

That is why I am no longer alive today. Neither are you. You closed you eyes, trying to sleep, but instead you just saw white. Not black, white. Suddenly, my face appeared in your blank dream. You whispered weakly "Who are you?"

I didn't respond. I only looked at you gently. You knew who I was then. You saw it in my eyes. My emerald eyes.

"Angel?" you gasped. I just smiled and nodded.

"Don't I know you?" you asked. I grinned at your recondition.

"Ryan?" you quarried. I smiled hugely.

You gasped again and felt a pierce at your heart at my name. You gripped your chest and cried "Help me!"

I shook my head and answered "You can only help yourself." I reached out for your hand. You broke away from your chest and tried to touch my hand, but you couldn't reach. I fell back slightly, my hand still outstretched. You tried and tried, but I kept pulling back.

"Please stop." you begged.

Suddenly, you were able to grab my hand. It was easy. Too easy. I pulled you up and secured you on what seemed to be a cloud.

"Where are we?" you asked breathlessly, staring at our white surrounding.

"Is this heaven?" you answered your own question.

"Don't you feel normal and refreshed?" I surveyed.

You looked down at your body. Your normal body. You were no longer anorexic and you no longer had bags under your eyes. You were normal. You were perfect.

"I'm too young to die! I still have my entire future in front of me! What about theatre! My future!"

I touched your hand and lightly stroked it, reassuring "This is your future. Right here, by my side."

You looked into my eyes with those perfect hazel ones of yours. "How come I know you?"

"I'm the one that saved you from the car accident, the drowning situation, the electrical shock, and choking on the bone. I'm your brother."

"That's impossible! I'm an only child! I never had a brother! That's what my parents and everyone else told me!"

I shook my head and corrected "That's what I told them. I'm the reason that you were hit by that car. We were arguing and you got angry. You tried to leave, but you got hit. I carried you to the hospital and paid for it. Afterwards, you learned everything back in about a week or two, but I told everyone to never mention me or a brother to you. I didn't want to hurt you again."

Tears played in your beautiful eyes, which never left mine. You were so beautiful when you were in pain. So natural. But you counted on someone to save you from death, so your beauty couldn't stay long.

"Why can't I remember?" you asked breathlessly.

I kissed your hand tenderly and replied "You're not allowing yourself to. When I was old enough to know what love was, I immediately knew that you were the one. Just look deep within yourself. You'll remember."

You looked down, but it didn't look like you were getting anywhere. You then looked up into my eyes and yours suddenly filled with memories. Your eyes were glassy from tears, which eventually streamed down your pale skin. I wanted to wipe them away, but couldn't bring myself to do it. You had to be strong yourself. For both of us.

"I do remember. I remember something else that you didn't mention yet." you said.

I leaned in closer to you, for I couldn't stand the distance between us. "What's that?"

You finally did it. What I've been longing for all of these long, miserable years finally came true. You leaned up to my wanting lips and connected them with yours. I felt nerves kill me all over, but in a good way. Like I'm sacrificing myself for your love.

You departed after a while and whispered "Just like an angel would."

I took your hand once again and held onto it tightly, but not enough to hurt you. I replied softly "No. Just like lovers would."

You smiled lightly and surrendered to me again, pressing your lips against mine, chills racing through my body. Heavenly forces wound themselves together when I felt your touch against my soft skin.

You broke apart and said against my lips "Thank you for finding me."

I shook my head and whispered "No. You found me. You didn't give up looking into my eyes."

The truth. We found each other the day we were born. You found me. Your heavenly savior.

* * *


	9. Can't Help But Wait

**Summary: He saw them hand in hand and the smiles on their faces, but he knew what really happened behind closed doors. He had the strongest desire ever for her, but all he could do was wait.**

**Song: Can't Help But Wait**

**Artist: Trey Songz**

Chad stood up against his locker, completely ignoring Troy's rambling beside him. His best friend was complaining about his father, but Chad couldn't pay attention. He was too busy staring at the girl passing through his eyes. But this wasn't just any girl. This was probably the most beautiful girl that Chad had ever seen in his entire life. Her black curls framing her beautiful face. Her dark brown eyes covered with light eye shadow matched her dark, flawless skin. But if there was one thing that could distract Chad from this goddess, it was the teen that had his arm low around her waist.

Tyrell Brown. The most self-absorbed, aggressive player anyone had ever known. He was known for his dirty language, his baggy wardrobe, and most important, his My-Way-Or-The-Highway attitude. It was only a quarter into the school year and Tyrell had already had 23 girlfriends, all of which had been mistreated and abused by him. The princess that Chad was staring at was now the 24th and had probably been treated the worst.

This girl was none other than Chad's best female friend, Taylor McKessie. The once fun and bubbly girl that Chad knew had transformed into this shy, timid, and scared one that he had grown to know. It broke his heart to see her walking through the halls with a fake smile on her face, pretending that she was okay. But on the inside, Chad knew that she was on her knees and begging anyone who would listen for help. Chad was the only one who could see the obvious signs, but he knew that there was nothing he could do for her except to give her a place to run to. All he could do was wait.

**I see you**

**You with him**

**He aint right**

**But you don't trip**

Chad couldn't understand it. Did she enjoy being hurt by him? Did she wake up every morning and say "Another day, another beating. I can live with that." Of course not, he would think to himself. She was looking for a way out every passing day. Every time Tyrell laid a hand on her, she would somehow use that as an excuse to tell herself that she was strong. But with every bottle of cover up that she used to hide the bruises, she would call herself weak and vulnerable. Chad would just hold her and tell her that she was perfect, just locked inside a shell. Tyrell had the key and would never let go of it. It all sent bile to Chad's throat, but he knew that he just had to wait for her. Time would eventually bring them together one day. He could just feel it.

As he was walking home with Troy, who was still complaining about his dad, Chad stopped short and peered around the corner, hearing strange noises coming from the empty street. His jaw dropped as he witnessed Tyrell locking lips with Summer, the school's biggest slut. He had her crushed against the hard brick wall with his hands pulling down her red G-string. She was tugging at his black wife beater and shoving her tongue down his throat, muttering things to him. Tyrell commanded "What the fuck is you doin'?!"

Summer giggled "Trying to get your shirt off silly."

Tyrell slapped her across the face and after she fell to the ground in a heap, he snapped "Don't ever call me 'silly' you stupid bitch. Now get up outta here! I got business to take care of!"

Summer nodded through tears and ran out of the ally, trying to keep her denim mini skirt up.

Tyrell turned around and called "Yo! Move ya ass!"

Chad's blood ran cold and he tensed as Taylor slowly walked out, blood and bruises covering her face and bare chest. Oh God, her _bare_ chest?! What was going on?!

"Did you see that?" Tyrell asked, ripping her hands away from her breasts. She closed her eyes tightly and nodded as Tyrell scanned her barely clothed body. He moved closer to her as he whispered "You look so much better when you're bleeding."

Taylor, again, just nodded. She wouldn't dare let this monster see her cry.

"You gonna match that?"

Nod.

"You gonna be a bad girl?"

Nod.

"You gonna refuse again?"

Stillness.

"ANSWER ME!!" Slap.

Nod.

"Good," Tyrell grinned. He grabbed her by her legs and tossed her over his shoulder. "I can't wait to bang you."

By now, Chad had a fire burning in his eyes and was ready to charge, but Troy pulled him back snapping "No Chad! Let it go."

"No! I've seen her get hurt one too many times!" Chad snarled, making sure that Tyrell didn't hear him.

"Chad, she said that she didn't want help, so if you really love her, you'll let her fight her way out of this. Okay?"

Chad took one last look back at his best girl friend and sighed "Fine. Next time I'll kill him."

Troy rolled his eyes and replied "Okay man. Just make sure that you're careful around them. Anyways, I gotta go. My dad wants me home for some extra practice. See you later."

Chad waved and looked back at Taylor. She had tears streaming down her face and Tyrell's hand grazing her butt. She looked up at Chad and mouthed "Leave."

Chad gave her a look of love and mouthed "Eight o'clock."

Taylor nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Every Friday night, Taylor would spend the night at Chad's and just cry. She couldn't cry anywhere else because someone would hear her, but Chad's house was always empty on Friday nights and mornings. She would come at eight when his parents had their weekly date and leave at ten the next morning, when his parents checked on him. It was a routine that they had ever since Chad found out that Tyrell was dating Taylor. Taylor knew right away that Chad knew, but begged him to keep it a secret. The only reason Chad agreed was because he loved her.

Chad looked away and walked to his house to prepare for that night. He rented Taylor's favorite movie, A Walk to Remember, bought her favorite Keyshia Cole album, and bought 2 jugs of cookies and cream ice cream to help her calm down. After that, all he did and could do was wait.

--

At 8:00, the doorbell rang. Chad sprang up from the couch and ran to the door, preparing himself for the tears. When he opened the door, Taylor wasted no time in jumping into his arms and sobbing on his chest. Chad picked her up bridal style and shut the door with his foot, leading her back to the living room. The DVD player was ready to play the movie and Heaven Sent was playing in the stereo. Taylor calmed a little bit and murmured "T-this is my f-favorite song."

Chad laughed "Really? How did I know that?"

Taylor smiled and wiped away a few tears, replying "You know me all too well."

Chad nodded and buried his head in her hair, carefully asking "What happened?"

He could feel her getting worked up all over again as she said "After you left he dragged me into his apartment and threw me onto the bed. He said something about him being my master and me being a piece of shit. After he finished with me, he threw me out of the door by my hair and I ran here. It's not as bad as last week, but it was still horrible."

Chad now had her in the tightest hug possible and was gently rocking her back and forth. As she cried, he whispered "I never should've left you."

Taylor shook her head and argued "No Chad. If you followed me, he would've killed you as well as me. He's really possessive."

Chad refused "I don't care. I could've helped you. I feel so guilty."

Taylor smiled lightly and kissed his cheek, saying "Thanks for at least caring about me. You really are my best friend."

Chad smiled, but thought _"Why can't we be more?"_

He sighed and piped up "Okay, how about we watch a movie? It'll get your mind off of it."

Taylor groaned "Please don't say it's Snakes on a Plane. I heard that it was really stupid, but it seems like your kind of movie."

Chad's mouth dropped playfully as he snapped "Hey! I take offense to that!"

Taylor laughed at his reaction and replied "No seriously, what is it?"

Chad raised an eyebrow slyly and said "Trust me, we're gonna have a Walk to Remember tonight..."

Taylor squealed and hugged her best friend since kindergarten tightly, shouting "Oh my God Chad! That's my favorite movie! Are you sure you wanna watch it though?"

Chad shrugged "As long as you're happy, I'm happy. And trust me, that's not often."

Taylor rolled her eyes and replied "It's not entirely my fault. You know that."

Chad kissed her forehead and whispered "Don't worry about it. You're safe with me. I promise."

Taylor smiled and nestled into his arms, waiting for the movie to start. She piped up "Chad, what if Tyrell forced me to marry him?"

She could feel the heat through Chad's shirt from his blood boiling. "I'll never let that happen." He seethed.

"But what if it does? He'll kill me."

Chad pulled her even closer to him, if that was possible and worried aloud "That can't happen. You mean too much to me to let that happen."

"As friends, right?" Taylor asked, a little worried. If Chad felt something other than friendship for her and Tyrell found out, they were both dead.

Chad reluctantly lied "Yeah. You're my best...oh how do I put this...uhh...friend girl."

Taylor laughed at his joke, which set a spark in Chad's heart. He loved hearing her laugh. It was rare, so he relished every second of it.

"Thanks for this Chad. Most of the people I know would kick me out in fear of Tyrell coming and beating them up."

Chad grinned "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Or us for that matter..."

Another joke, another laugh. Chad had to keep this up. She would be back to normal in no time and her confidence would grow enough to get the police involved. He couldn't wait for that day.

45 minutes later, Chad felt the mass of beauty in his arms go limp. He looked down and smiled when he found Taylor peacefully asleep with a smile on her face. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, whispering "I won't hurt you Taylor. I promise. All I have to do is wait..."

**You stand by**

**While he lies**

**Then turn right round and forgive**

Monday eventually rolled around and Chad was diffidently not looking forward to the week. It was Locker Inspection Week and every locker in the school would be searched. If they found anything suspicious, you would be questioned. Chad knew that he had nothing to hide, but he was worried sick about Taylor. Since his locker was so messy, Tyrell hid his condoms in Taylor's locker. If the workers found that, she would be busted. And if she blamed it on Tyrell, the consequences would be...deadly.

Chad sighed and walked up to Troy's locker, waiting for his friend to arrive. As he was turning the corner, he spotted Taylor pressed up against the locker by Tyrell's muscular arms. She had her eyes closed as he gnawed at her neck and lips, mumbling an occasional "I love you" Chad turned around immediately. He heard the merciless sound of a slap and a whimper if "I love you too." Chad shook his head and tried to hold back his tears. Even when Tyrell beat her in public, she still had to forgive him and say that she loved him too. Although it could have been worse, Chad didn't want to think of the possibilities.

**I can't take**

**To see your face**

**With those tears running down your cheeks**

**But what can I do**

**I gotta stay true**

**Cause deep down**

**I'm still a G**

Chad didn't know how much longer he could take this. The tears, the cries for help, the depression and agony were almost enough to make him cry himself. But, knowing that he could do absolutely nothing about it until Taylor gave him permission, he tried to avoid the situation as much as possible, but still keeping a watchful eye on his beloved Taylor. He was, however, still the second most popular boy in school and no one expected him to go soft for just one person.

**And I don't wanna come between you and your man**

**Even though I know I treat you better than he can**

Troy walked up to Chad and smiled brightly "Hey man! What's up?"

"It's locker inspection week."

Troy's smile faltered. Chad had been complaining about it all weekend, but he wasn't whining about his locker. It was Taylor's. Even though Chad was his best friend and he wanted him to be happy, Troy couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Taylor was hanging off a cliff because she said yes to Tyrell and Chad was dragging himself down with her. Still, he didn't complain. He knew that the more he complained, the more stress Chad would receive on his shoulders. He had to bite his tongue to keep from replying what was on his mind.

"Yeah, you might want to clean yours out. It smells a little crappy in there." Troy joked, trying to avoid the subject of the worst couple of East High.

Chad nodded slowly, still eyeing the couple about 15 lockers down. "That bastard better not blame her for the condoms. I'll turn him inside out if he does."

Troy sighed. He had to end this conversation before it got out of hand and Chad went nuts. He dismissed himself with "You do that. Okay, I'm off to homeroom. See you there."

Chad sent him a lazy nod, not really caring where Troy was going. All he cared about was Taylor at the moment and even he could do nothing about that situation but wait.

**Girl I can't help but wait**

**Till you get back with him**

**It don't change**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see that with me it ain't the same**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see you for what you really are**

**Baby girl you are a star**

**And I can't help but wait**

Chad hung his head later that day at lunch. He felt so at fault. He was talking to Taylor about throwing the condoms in the trash can when inspection time came, but Tyrell came along and pushed Chad away from her. She walked into lunch 5 minutes ago with a giant bruise crawling up her cheek. Chad was devastated. Again, it was all his fault. He never should've left her alone with that monster she called a boyfriend.

Chad sent her a small smile when she looked over at him. She returned it, but only for a few seconds. It dropped immediately as soon as Tyrell grabbed her by her arm and led her over to his lunch table, filled with his perverted friends. It was hell on earth for her and Chad.

**It aint fresh to just let him call the shots**

**You're a queen**

**You should be getting all that someone's got**

**You should be rockin' the latest**

**Purses, bracelets, and watches**

...The Next Day...

Chad jumped around the halls, unable to contain his excitement. Today was Valentines Day. Today was the day that Chad planned to tell Taylor about his feelings for her. Sure, it would add to the pressure of going out with Tyrell, but at least it would make him feel better and he wouldn't have to hold anything back anymore.

**You worth much more than an occasion**

**Oh, I love you**

**I'm thinkin' of you**

Chad waltzed right up to Taylor's locker and, knowing that Tyrell wasn't at school, chirped "Hey Tay! Happy V Day!"

Taylor looked up and beamed. She seemed so much happier when Tyrell's presence was absent.

"Chad! You remembered!" She squealed and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Chad hugged her back and replied "I got something for you."

"Oh! What is it?!" Taylor jumped. She was acting like a two year old in a candy store.

Chad laughed at her behavior and fished through his book bag, a wide grin on his face. "Ah hah!" he finally piped up, pulling out a navy blue velvet box. Taylor's mouth dropped in surprise. "Oh my God! What's that?"

"Open it." Chad whispered, moving a little closer to her. She didn't notice and opened the box, revealing the most beautiful diamond necklace ever.

"Oh God! Chad, you really didn't have to do this!" Taylor groaned, looking up into his loving eyes. He didn't show any sign of hesitation or hurt as he said "Look again."

**And I don't wanna come between you and your man**

**Even though I know I treat you better than he can**

Taylor, confused, looked down at the box again and gasped when she saw a little note underneath the chain. She took it out and read aloud "_Look up_. Huh?" She looked up at Chad and started "What's that supposed to me-"

She couldn't finish. She was interrupted by a pair of lips crashing down onto hers. Shocked, Taylor backed up against the lockers and allowed Chad to snake his arms around her waist and pull her as close to him as possible. She found her way through his arms and pulled him towards the lockers with her by his back. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue and she opened her mouth to let him in. The hallway became silent as the student body watched the two best friends kiss, when one of them was already taken by an abusive teenager.

Chad reluctantly pulled away from Taylor and smiled "I've always told you that I could do better than him."

Taylor nodded "I know. Thanks for proving it to me."

Chad kissed her forehead, trailed down her nose, and finished on her lips, replying "I love you Taylor."

Taylor let out a lone tear as she shakily replied "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that."

"All you had to do was ask." Chad whispered as he held her in his arms, taking in all of her tears and pain. He couldn't stand to see her in pain.

"Chad, what are we gonna do about Tyrell? If he finds out about me and you, he'll kill both of us."

Chad rolled his eyes and answered "Don't worry. We'll call the police at lunch and report abuse."

"We don't have proof and you're the only one who knows about it." Taylor glumly said.

Chad grinned slyly "You sure about that?"

Puzzled, Taylor asked "You have proof?"

Chad grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and maneuvered to the video section of his phone. He clicked on a specific one and softly commanded "Watch."

Taylor's gaze drifted to the screen and her mouth dropped. The video was of Tyrell raping Taylor on Friday. Taylor was screaming and crying while Tyrell slapped and punched her, trying to remove her shorts. The video ended after a minute and Chad closed the phone, carefully looking up at Taylor.

"I told you leave on that day." Taylor whispered, looking up at Chad.

Chad shrugged "I always tell you that I have your back, even if you don't want me to."

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Chad's neck and he felt someone jump into his body. He laughed as Taylor cried "Thank you so much Chad!"

Chad stroked her head "It's nothing. I just want you to get away from that monster."

**Girl I can't help but wait**

**Till you get back with him**

**It don't change**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see that with me it aint the same**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see you for what you really are**

**Baby girl you are a star**

**And I can't help but wait**

**Get it together**

**You can do better**

**Seeing's believing**

**And I see what you need, so**

**I'm gonna play my position**

**Let you catch what you've been missing**

**I'm calling out**

Taylor wiped away a lone tear that was making its way down her face as she cried "I never thought this day would come."

Chad held her close and replied "I know. I finally got the guts to tell you that I love you and now Tyrell's not in the picture anymore."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." came a deep threatening voice behind the couple. They spun around and froze as they faced a furious Tyrell...

Who was holding a gun to Chad's head.

"Tyrell..." Taylor tried, but Tyrell turned the gun to her and seethed "You wanna get shot too?! Then I suggest you shut the fuck up!"

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Chad shouted, taking a step toward Tyrell.

"Don't move or I'll blow your brains out!" Tyrell threatened just as angry.

Chad's eyes still glittered in fury, but he held his position. He didn't want to risk it.

"Tyrell, this isn't what it looks like." Taylor tried to explain, but ended up getting slapped across the face.

"Oh really?" the furious dark skinned teen seethed "So you're saying that you're not a dirty slut cheating on your boyfriend?"

"You've cheated on me since the day we got together! So don't even-" Slap.

Chad couldn't take it anymore. He had seen her get hurt one too many times and wasn't about to let it happen again. He lunged at Tyrell and pinned him to the ground, trying to remove the gun from his hands.

"Get the fuck off of me Danforth!" Tyrell shouted, punching Chad in the stomach.

"Not until I send you to burn in hell, Brown!" Chad screamed back with just as much anger and maybe more."

After a couple more minutes, Chad finally managed to pry the gun out of Tyrell's strong grip. He got to his feet and held the gun to his head, commanding "Stand up and wait until I call the cops. You're going to jail."

Tyrell sighed and slowly followed orders, eyeing Chad with a suspicious look. He looked like he was trying to suppress a grin, but it wasn't working. Chad took a stronger hold of the gun in his hand and caught the phone that Taylor tossed in his direction. She had a triumphant grin on her face as she eyed Tyrell, mouthing "It's over." Tyrell just rolled his eyes.

Chad called 911 and briefly started "Hello 911? Yeah, I'd like to report- AHH!!"

He didn't finish. Not even processing what happened, he felt his hand open and his skin break. He fell to the floor and clutched his bleeding arm. Tyrell quickly picked the gun off the floor and held it to Chad's arm, getting ready to shoot.

"Bad move Danforth. You forgot that I know how to kick something out of someone's hands."

Chad looked up at Tyrell and then down at his arm, which now had a bloody hole in it. Tyrell had shot him.

"CHAD!!" Taylor screamed as she ran over to him, but was stopped by a hand coming over to her face.

"Stay away from him McKessie or I'll kill both of you!" Tyrell demanded, keeping Chad on the ground with his foot and turning the gun to face Taylor. Taylor looked down at Chad, who nodded. Taylor held her place.

"Now," Tyrell started "I had fun with our little chat here, but I really need to-"

"FREEZE!!" Came a voice towards the doors of the school. Every head in the room turned and jaws dropped at the sight of 4 police officers holding guns up to Tyrell, who was frozen in fear.

"How the hell did they-"

"Apparently," Chad groaned "You forgot that the police can trace calls as long as the phone is still on. I didn't end the call. Sucks for you." Tyrell just gave him a hateful glare.

One of the officers slowly walked towards Tyrell and boomed "Put the gun down and keep quiet." Tyrell, out of fear, followed orders. No grin or suspicious eye this time.

The blonde cop caught the handcuffs that his partner threw to him and threw Tyrell against the lockers. "You're under arrest against abuse and attempted murder charges. Anything that you say can and will be used against you..."

While Tyrell was being led out of the building, the paramedics were called and were there in a flash, setting Chad on the stretcher.

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Taylor worried aloud, stroking Chad's bruised cheek.

Chad nodded "Yeah, I'll be fine. See you at the hospital?"

Taylor nodded and quickly wiped away a tear, half of it landing on Chad's forehead.

"Hey, don't cry." He pleaded.

"Chad, you were shot by my boyfriend. How can I just hold that in?" Taylor sobbed, falling into his chest. Chad wrapped his good arm around her back and shushed her, whispering "Tay, you need to be strong. For the both of us."

Taylor nodded and whimpered "I love you Chad."

Chad beamed "I love you too Taylor. More than you know." She smiled back at him.

As she watched him being carried away by the paramedics, she whispered "Thanks for saving me Chad. Even if you had to wait."

**Girl I can't help but wait**

**Till you get back with him**

**It don't change**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see that with me it ain't the same**

**I can't help but wait**

**Till you see you for what you really are**

**Baby girl you are a star**

**And I can't help but wait**

* * *

Wow! That's a long one! It took me a whole week to write! Anyways, REVIEW PLEASE! Thnx :)

Rachel :)

The song's "Can't Help But Wait" by Trey Songz :)


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